Not So Invincible

When I was younger, I had books which proclaimed the greatness of Pakistan; the bravery of its soldiers; the invulnerability of its army; the loyalty of its people. And those words used to make my heart swell with pride each time I read them. Then came a cruel reality check in the form of Pakistan Studies, and it was like an actual physical blow. Where was the victory of the 1965 war which we were so proud of? Certainly not in Ayub Khan's capitulation to the Tashkent Declaration. What kind of army kills the intellectuals of its own people as ours did in Bangladesh? Where would Sindh have stood if Zulfikar Ali Bhutto hadn't threatened the president? I acclaim our shaheed heroes; I admire the leaders of our past and hope for the future; I'm still proud to be a Pakistani; all my ambitions and talents are still for Pakistan, but for me 14 August no longer has the appeal it did years ago. And fortunately or unfortunately, I know a sizeable number who'd agree with me.